Sugar beet harvester



March 30, 1937. M. sTocKL ET Al. 2,075,311

SUGAR BEET HARVESTER Filed April 5, 1935 4 Sheets-Shenl 1 March 30,1937. M. sTocKl. ET AL SUGAR BEET HARVESTER Filed April 5, 1935 4Sheets-Sheet 2 /A/a /1/7'0 I 'P52 ew( March 30, M* STOCKL ET AL SUGARBEET HMWESTERl Filed April 5, 1955 4 sheets-sheet 5 March 30, 1937. M.STOCKI. ET Al.

SUGAR BEET HARVESTER Filed April 5, 19:55 4 sheets-sheet 4 NW m SL w

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ifa/z Patented Mar. 3Q, 1937 PATENT OFFICE SUGAR BEET HARVESTER MichaelStockl, Delavan, and Otto J. Rajewsky,

Blue Earth, Minn.

Application April 5, 1935, Serial No. 14,828

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sugar beet harvesters. Oneobject is to provide a machine of this type that will dig the beets fromthe ground, sever the tops, convey the beets to a receptacle and pilethe tops in windrows to one or the other side of the machine, thebeet-top conveyer being reversible. The machine will pile the tops ofthree rows of beets in one windrow.

Means are provided for adjusting the beet digging element to dig atdifferent depths and for cutting the tops according to the crop, whetherlong or short. A further object is to provide a sugar beet harvesterthat may be horse or motor propelled and wherein the machine mechanismis driven through connection to the-rear wheels.

A further object is to provide a machine of this type that can beoperated with a minimum of labor, that is positive and efficient inoperation and one wherein the adjustments of the several parts can bereadily made when necessary and substantially without the loss of time.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter fully de-lscribed, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings which form a part of this application for patent and in which-Fig. 1 is a side view of the sugar beet harvester with parts eliminated.

Fig. 2 is a view of the upper end of the elevator with the chutetherefor.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the rear end of the machinedetailing the driving mechanism for certain conveyors and the toppingknife.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the rear axle ordrive shaft and connections.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through Fig. 3 on the line5--5.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view illustrating a chain tighteneremployed.

Fig. 7 is a view of the beet digging and pickup elements and of aportion of the conveyer mechanism, taken from inside the machine.

Fig. 8 is a top plan View of Fig. 7, the leafguard or shield beingomitted to afford a better illustration.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of the conveyor extending transversely ofthe rear end of the ma- 50 chine and of one of the chutes associatedtherewith.

Fig. 10 is a detail view of the driving and reversin-g mechanism for theconveyor shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view of the olevis employed.

Like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout theseveral views.

The machine comprises the frame mounted to the front wheels 2 and rearwheels 3 and including theside beams I, 4, 5, the beams 4 and 5 beingconnected by the obliquely disposed drop beam 6, the beams I at theirrear ends supporting the elevator I provided with the chute 8 at itsupper end, the elevator being connected by brace rods 9 to the beams I.'I'he rear wheels 3 are connected by and made fast to the rear axle 'I0that is the drive shaft, the beams 4, 5, 6

form, in effect, a tilting frame that may vrock independently of thebeams I and that are mounted direct to sleeves or tilt hinges II looseupon the shaft Hl, said beams 4, 6 being provided with a hook plate I2connected by the link I3 to the hook I4 of the bell-crank-lever I5fulcrumed to a frame beam I and connected by pitman I6 to a hand leverIl that works over a rack I8 carried by the beam I. By moving the leveril the bell-crank-lever may be rocked and the tilting frame raised orlowered with respect to the ground line.

Secured to the forward end of the tilting frame are the pick-ups orscoops tI8 adjustably connected by the arms I9 to the brackets 20 formedwith longitudinal slots 2| and secured to the said tilting frame-beams6, said slots 2I receiving the upper ends of the rotary shafts 22 uponthe lower ends of which the large sprocket wheels 23 are made fast, eachsprocket wheel 23 being connected by sprocket chain 25 to a smallsprocket wheel 24 fast upon a shaft 26, supported in a bracket securedto the frame, said sprocket wheels 24 each being provided with fourfingers 2l that extend above and laterally beyond said sprocket. Abracket 28 secured to each side of the frame carries an idler 29 thatengages the chain 25 to take up slack therein and to position the chainas hereinafter set forth.

Secured to the lower or forward end of each beam 6 by bolts 3I in slots32 .is-the arm 30 to which the blade 331s adjustably secured by therosette 34, said blade being adapted to travel in the ground to loosenthe earth and uproot the beets while the scoops I8 are spaced thereaboveto receive the beet tops. Each shaft 22 runs in a sleeve bearing 35supported by bracket 36, said shaft extending beyond its bearingdownwardly and being connected by the universal joint 31 to the shaft 38arranged in the bearing 39 secured to the beam 5, said shaft 38 havingfastl thereupon the chain wheel 40 in mesh with the driving chain 4Ithat at its opposite end is driven i leaves from falling over the frame.

Supported by the track 41 are a plurality of shafts 50 to which thesmall chain wheels 5| are secured that mesh with the chain 4| to `keepthe same clear of the track to prevent wear through contact therewith.Depending from the track at an angle thereto is the beet-top aligner 52,the free end thereof being spaced a suitable distance from the track andadjustably connected thereto by the bolt 53, said bolt being adjustablysecured to the track by lock nuts 54. The track is formed of two or morerails spaced apartk to provide clearance for the beet-tops. There are,of course, two sets of chains 4| running parallel and spaced slightlyapart and together forming a conveyor, each set being driven by a chainwheel 42 fast upon a shaft 43. Each link oi' each chain 4| is providedwith a vertically disposed resilient link 55, the free sides of thelinks 55 of any two opposed links of the chains 4| being disposedbetween those `chains and spaced from each other so that a space 58 isformed between them and into this space a beet-top is received andfrlctionally retained while the beet is being transported from thepick-up to the knife, as hereinafter set forth.

Fast to the lower ends of the shafts 43 are the bevel pinions 51 in meshwith the bevel gears 58 fast upon a transmission shaft 59 supported inbearings secured to the frame beams 4 and carrying a transverse conveyorframe 8|. Fast upon one end of the shaft 59 is a chain wheel 82connected by the chain 83, passingover the idler 84, to the large chainwheel fast to the drive shaft I0. The transverse conveyor 8| isconnected'to the frame beams 4 by supports 88 and includes the belt ortravelingelement 81 fast to the terminal shafts 68, 89, the shaft 88being provided with a pulley 10 connected by belt 1| to the shaft pulley12 fast upon shaft 13, supported' upon the frame, said shaft 13 beingprovided with a spool-shaped double-bevel gear 14 that slides upon a.keyseat upon said shaft and is controlled by a hand lever 15 so that oneor the other of the bevel gears 14 may be caused to mesh withvthe bevelpinion 18 at one end of the shaft 59 which end is mounted inthe bracket11 keyed to the shaft, 13.

'I'he said bracket 11 is connected by the arm 18 to the lever 15 in suchmanner that the lever is free to move laterally to effect movement ofthe double-bevel gears. Fast upon the shaft 59 is a large chainy wheel19 that is connected by the chain 80 with a small chain wheel (notshown) that is built upon the bevel gear 8| fast upon the shaft 82supported in bearings 83, secured to the frame beam 4, said bevel gearbeing in mesh with the bevel pinion 84, the shaft of which is arrangedin the twin bearing 85 suping in mesh with a smaller cog wheel 88, the

shaft of which is in the twin bearing 85, fast upon the shaft 89 of therotary knife 90, said shaft being supported in a bearing 9| secured tothe frame beam 4.

At each end of the transverse conveyor 8| is a chute 92 pivotallyconnected thereto by supports 93, said chute being provided with aconveyor belt 94 mounted to the shafts 95, 98 one of which is providedwith a pulley 91 connected by belt 98 to a pulley 99 upon each of theshafts 88, 89. Also fast upon the shaft89 is a pulley |00 connected bybelt |0| to a pulley |02 fast to the shaft 13. A clevis |03 spans thechute 92 and is connected by link |04 with a lever |05 operativelysecured to the transverse conveyor frame. By means of the hand lever |05the chute may be adjusted with respect to the transverse conveyor. Theassembly and drive of the chute with its conveyor shown in Fig. 9 isduplicated at the opposite end of the transverse conveyor 8|.

A clutch member |08 slidable upon the shaft l0 is operable by means ofthe hand lever |01 for engagement with the yclutch member |08 whereby totransmit (power from said shaft to the machine mechanism described, saidlever being secured by the bracket |09 to a frame beam.

At the forward end of the machine a clevis ||0 engaging the frame isconnected to the tug bar Aby link and coupling ||2.

In operation, the machine is drawn over the ground by draft animals ormotor, the clutch |01 keeping the clutch members |08, |08 disil engaged.When the growing beets are encountered the machine is so disposed withrelation to the rows of beets that pick-up scoops I8 are upon oppositesides thereof. 'I'he clutch members are now engaged.V The blades 33 willloosen the chains, said links frictionally grasping the tops `and.carrying them rearwardly and upwardly, the beets hanging down fromk thetops As the beets pass the aligner 52 the tops pass therethrough withthe beet body disposed therebelow. The divergence of the aligner fromAthe conveyor pulls the beets down into such position with respect tothe knife that the tops are severed thereby a. uniform distance abovethe beet body.

The severed tops are carried by the opposedy chain links 55 to the upperor rear end of the conveyor where they are dropped, due to the wideningof the distance between the links 55 of the respective conveyorsections, upon the trans verse conveyor 8| by which they are conveyed toone or the other side of the machine and therefrom through one of thechutes 92 they are deposited in windrows upon the ground. The transverseconveyor may be reversed by means of the hand lever 15 which will drivethe shaft" 13 in either of two directions.

'Ihe beets, after the tops are severed therefrom. drop from beneath theknife 90 into the chute H3, secured to the frame, and pass by gravity`upon the elevator 1 and are carried to the upper end thereof to passout through the down-spout 8 into any receptacle provided, When themachine is started to work upon the growing beets the lever l1 is movedto permit the blades to digI into and break up the ground so that thebeets can be readily pulled out thereafter by their tops. An adJustingscrew l I l' is used, as shown in Fig. 6, to take up slack in the chainIl when necessary. The aligner 52 engaging the beet tops in its narrowslotted portion that contracts toward its free end tends to retard themovement of the beets and so pulls the beets downwardly into a uniformposition with respect to the cutter.

What is claimed is:-

l. In a sugar beet harvester, a main frame, a rear supporting axle,wheels fast thereto, a tilting frame fulcrumedV to said axle, blades atone end of said tilting frame, scoops at the forward end of said tiltingframe above said blades, pick-up conveyors associated with said scoops,a longitudinal conveyor associated with said pick-up conveyors, a knifebeneath said longitudinal conveyor, a chute disposed beneath said knife,an elevator associated with said chute, a transverse conveyor at one endof said longitudinal conveyor and below one end of same, and manuallyoperable mechanism connecting said main frame and tilting frame foractuating the latter.

2. In a sugar beet harvester, a main frame, support wheels therefor, anaxle connecting said wheels and fast thereto, a tilting frame mounted tosaid axle, actuating mechanism for said tilting frame connecting thesame to said main frame, earth-engaging blades at one end of saidtilting frame, beet-engaging and conveying means carried by said tiltingframe and disposed above said blades and extending longitudinally ofsaid frame, a rotary knife associated with said beet-conveying means forseparating the tops from the beets at a predetermined point in theirpath of travel, a beet top conveyor associated with said beet conveyingmeans, beet-body-conveying means associated with said knife and beetconveying means, and adjusting mechanism for said tilting frameconnecting the same and said main frame.

3. In a sugar beet harvester, a main frame, a

, tilting frame adjustably connected thereto, a

drive axle operatively supporting said frame, support wheels fast tosaid axle, earth-loosening blades at one end of said tilting frame,beet-top 3 at one end of said tilting frame associated with said means,and beet-body conveying means associated with said knife and receivingVthe beet bodies severed from thetops thereby.

4. In a sugar beet harvester, a main frame, a tilting frame operativelyconnected thereto, earthloosening means carried by said tilting frame,

beet-engaging and conveying mechanism carried by said tilting frame andassociated with-said earth-loosening means, a beet-top cutter carried bysaid tilting frame in the path of movement of the beets, a reversibletransverse beet-top conveyor associated with said beet-engaging andconveying mechanism, beet-body conveying mechanism carried by saidtilting frame and associated with said beet-top cutter, and actuatingmechanism for said earth-loosening means and for said conveyingmechanisms operatively supporting said frames.

5. In a sugar beet harvester, beet-top engaging and conveying means, -arotary knife associated with said means, and a beet top aligner carriedby said conveying means and disposed between the same and said rotaryknife.`

6. In a sugar beet harvestena conveyor comprising a pair of endlesschains spaced apart, and resilient links carried by said chains,'theresilient links of one chain cooperating directly withthose linkscarried by said chains, the resilient links of one chain cooperatingdirectly with those of the other chain to engage and support thebeet-tops by friction, and'ngers carried by said chain wheels.

8. In a sugar beet harvester, a beet-top-'engaging conveyor comprisingspaced cooperating sets of resilient links, a beet-top-engaging alignerdisposed below and carried by said conveyor in the path of movement ofthe beet-tops, and a knife immediately lbelow said aligner forengagement with the beet-tops subsequent to their engagement with saidaligner.

MICHAEL STOCKL. OTTO J. RAJEWSKY.-

